These Disposable Undies are Changing the Conversation About Incontinence

When it comes to female incontinence, it’s a little unexpected to see a young businessman as the face of a solution. But Steven Cruz is here to tell us on this episode of Busine$$ of the V exactly how he came to develop an innovative disposable underwear that is breaking barriers and changing the conversation. As a founder of Hazel, he is helping to shake up a consumer product sector that has been stigmatized and stagnant for decades.

 

Hosts Dr. Alyssa Dweck and Rachel Braun Scherl walk their guest through how the Hazel model was developed, including the new technology built into every fiber of its flexible, breathable fabric. As easy comfortable and gentle as menstrual underwear, Hazel is nonetheless designed to absorb exponentially more liquid – which is key for millions of women sidelined by anxieties around bladder leakage. We learn what the primary causes of incontinence are and that by no means is it an affliction limited to people in nursing homes.

 

Data indicate an outsized economic burden associated with incontinence and there is also a significant cost in terms of quality of life. Bladder leakage is associated with factors like weight and genetics, as well as pelvic floor stress as the result of childbearing. With one in four women experiencing some level of discomfort – many of them young and active – Hazel’s modern, disposable solution offers game-changing freedom from worry and self-imposed social isolation. Steven is also highlighting the educational aspect of the evolving Hazel platform, which is nudging incontinence out of the shadows and into the realm of 21^st century femtech!

 

Get complete show notes, subscribe to our newsletter or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.